A brand new season of the NHL will start this week. Last time we saw the Blackhawks, they were in the bubble losing to the Vegas Golden Knights in the first round of the playoffs. Before that series, the technically first round of the playoffs in the bubble to finish the 2019-20 season, was the play-in round where the Blackhawks took the best out of five series versus the Edmonton Oilers to make it to the next round versus the Golden Knights. We know the Covid virus helped the Blackhawks make any kind of post-season appearance last season. Before they shut things down due to Covid, the Blackhawks were running out of time to even sniff post season play. They had too many teams to jump over. The time off, and then the bubble playoffs in the hub cities, we got to see Corey Crawford one last time in the net.

This off-season, the Blackhawks were not bringing Corey Crawford back unless it was a cheap deal. Crawford signed a two year deal with the New Jersey Devils. Then less than a week ago, Corey Crawford called it quits on a wonderful NHL career with all the years with the Blackhawks and two Stanley cups.

In 2020, we saw the Blackhawks fire the President of their team, John McDonough. McDonough was a big part of helping the Blackhawks get out of that Flintstone era of outdated times. They had been one of the worst franchises in sports the way they ran things into the ground.

2020 was a very bad year with the pandemic, protests, and rioting. The Blackhawks dealt with race tensions at an all-time high. They saw their Indian head statue monument outside the United Center, their hockey home defaced and vandalized with paint.

I think the Blackhawks have a good relationship with the Native Americans. They may have improved this relationship after this weak attempt by stupid people who sabotage something they do not understand. In my opinion, the Blackhawk logo is one of the best in the game and most respective out of any other Indian-related logo in sports today or the past. Who knows if the Blackhawks will eventually give their logo up like the Redskins of Washington, and the Cleveland Indians will be heading down the same road.

No exhibition games to start the NHL season. The Blackhawks will be looking a tad different than last year’s team. This team has gotten rid of a lot of pieces. Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman is back, which is a downside and his off-season moves continue to be head-scratchers. As evidence, this season is a rebuild type of year for the Blackhawks.

WHO’S OUT:

Brandon Sadd (Avalanche), Drake Caggiula (Coyotes) Slater Koekkoek (Oilers) Olli Maatta (Kings)

Waivers: Zack Smith last off-season move really worked out. Can even get a bag of pucks for him.

Not resigned:Alexandra Fortin and Anton Wedin

RETIRED:Corey Crawford

Blackhawks off-season plan was trying to shed salary off the cap. It will be the second time Stan Bowman has traded away Brandon Sadd.

NOT AVAILABLE FOR OPENING NIGHT:

THE CAPTAIN Jonathan Toews out with an illness. Return time unknown.

INJURIES:

Alex Nylander knee: out for season

Kirby Dach’s Broken Wrist: Probably out for the season

MIA:Brent Seabrook has not played since December of 2019 and was not at training camp. Seabrook has been dealing with multiple injuries since he last play. Seabrook came to camp to tweak his back in day one back on the ice.

GOALIE

Malcolm Subban: Will be the starting goalie for game one. Subban came over in the Robin Lehner trade. Subban is 27 years of age and has a record of 30-23-7 in 66 games in the net for his career.

Collin Delia: A young back up 26 years of age. Delia played in 18 games in his early NHL career and has a 7-5-3 record.

The Blackhawks’ goalie situation is unproven. Not much of a track record. Blackhawks go from a top league tandem in the net last season to start the year with Crawford and Lehner. Now to a career back up goalie and guy trying to cling to a NHL roster.

DEFENSE

The defense was the team’s weakness last season. What does Duncan Keith have left in the tank?

Duncan Keith has the Jesus look going on for this new season. Duncan Keith says the new off-season workout has gotten him in the best shape of his career.

Duncan Keith and Connor Murphy are your top defensive line

PLAYER TO WATCH ON DEFENSE

Nickita Zadorov is a defenseman the Blackhawks got from the Avalanche in the Brandon Sadd deal.

Zadorav likes to hit people. Last year was tops in the league in giving hits on the ice.

OFFENSE

TOP LINE

Patrick Kane, Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Strome

Kane is still one of the top Super Stars of the league. Alex DeBrincat had his lowest numbers in his career last season. Can DeBrincat get back to what he did in the 2018-19 season tallying 41 goals with 76 points?

REST OF THE LINES

LINE 2 Dominick Kubalik, Brandon Pirri, Pius Suter

Suter is a player of Interest. Suter was MVP of the Swiss league

LINE 3 Lucas Wallmark, Mattias Janmark, Andrew Shaw

Can Andrew Shaw rebound from last season’s injuries? Some experts said Shaw would retire.

LINE 4 Matthew Highmore, David Kampf, Ryan Carpenter

Blackhawks this season are going in with too many question marks. The goalie situation worries me. The defense to me is still going to be hot garbage. Kirby Dach’s injury is a big blow. Not having the captain, Jonathan Toews, on the ice with his illness and no return date is worrisome. The extension given to head coach Jeremy Colliton should raise red flags to me. Colliton has not shown me anything yet to prove he should be the guy to lead this team for additional years. Blackhawks clearly are in a rebuild. Which young guys will stick around and be the future? Some of these guys on this team might be dealt at the trade deadline if they can play. Can Stan Bowman, the GM who should have been shit canned, be the guy to fix this situation? It’s great that hockey is back. It’s better watching the NBA. It will be a long season in Chicago. Better that fans can not attend these games.